Bowling ball and pin separator



Sept. 14, 1954 H. M. DOWD ETAL 2,689,128

BOWLING BALL AND PIN SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN II] Howard M. Dawd Royal L..Barrows A-H'ys.

P 1954 H. M. DOWD ET AL BOWLING BALL AND PIN SEPARATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. '7, 1950 5 m Mm M M EMB v d N r L I d Wm, m

fan a M e A-H- sl [I Q H K (N I- -1 Patented Sept. 14, 1954 OFFICE BOWLING BALL AND PIN SEPARATOR Howard M. Dowd, South Acton, and Royal L. Barrows, Salem, Mass.

Application December 7, 1950, Serial No. 199,678

4 Claims.

This invention relates to ball and pin separators for use in bowling pin setting machines.

Bowling pin setting machines are now in use which, as controlled by the bowler, automatically sweep the alley clear of balls and pins after one to three balls have been bowled, as necessary, separate the balls from the pins, return the balls to the bowler, convey the pins to a pin collector or reservoir, and then station a new set of pins in position on the alley. Our invention is designed for use with any automatic bowling pin setting machine for separating and distributing the balls and pins to their respective conveyors, and has for its object the faster and surer separation of balls and pins, and the guiding of each to its proper conveyor for further distribution. Means is provided for preventing either balls or pins from getting into and clogging the others exit. Our device further prevents traffic jams between the balls and pins on the rotary turntable by keeping the balls in their own traffic lane, and thus prevents a pin from ettin between a ball and the ball exit, for instance. Our device further facilitates installation in a bowlingn alley, and its servicing and repair, because one uniform construction can be used in all alleys. By separating the pins and balls for further distribution on opposite sides of the alley, separate pin conveyors and ball conveyors can be used, which simplifies their construction, installation, servicing and repair.

Briefly our invention comprises a rotatingwturntable, mounted in the pit at the end of the alley, a top wall or trap-door mounted over the turntable, preferably over the rear half thereof, the

top wall being spaced from the turntable sufliciently to allow the pins to pass beneath it while lying fiat, but not the balls, and having a channel provided therein to receive and guide the balls, and separate exits for the pins and the balls from the turntable. Preferably the top wall is hinged transversely to allow it to rest on the balls and thus provide positive means for rolling the balls speedily to the ball exit, without lost motion. The pin exit and ball exit are both sized and shaped, respectively to prevent balls from getting into the pin exit, and pins into the ball exit.

In the drawings we have shown our invention as adapted for use with candle pins, but it will be understood that the invention is readily adaptable for use with duck pins if so desired.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a bowling pin setting machine embodying the invention and shown applied to a bowling alley;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections taken on lines 33 and l4 respectively, of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the general arrangement of a suitable bOWllllg pin setting machine with which our present invention is adapted to be used. Such a machine is described in detail in another application for Letters Patent Serial No. 87,646, filed April 15, 1949 (now abandoned) and need only be described generally herein. Briefly, the bowling pin setting machine is used in conjunction with a standard bowling alley, the floor of which is represented at H! and the pit at the rear of the bowling alley is generally designated by H, and the ball return trough by l2. The machine includes a turntable or distributor l5, which distributes the pins P to the pin elevator El and the balls B to the ball elevator E2 (from which the balls are delivered to the ball return trough [2). The machine further includes a pin reservoir or collector R, the pin chutes or conduits C leading therefrom to the vertical positioning tubes T through which the pins are positioned upon the alley In. A sweeper generally designated at S is provided for sweeping the alley and gutters clear of pins or balls whenever the bowler desires a new set-up of pins. The respective operating parts are powered by individual motors generally designated by M! to M6 inclusive.

The turntable I5 comprises a flat round table of any suitable material mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane on the vertical shaft t6. Motor Ml (Fig. 3) drives the turntable continuously by means of chain I7, and sprocket wheels Ila and llb, the latter being mounted on shaft l6. Idler rolls l'lc assist in supportin turntable l5. The top of the turntable I5 is preferably provided with a durable surface of fiberboard or floor of the turntable l a distance of about 31 /1.

inches, or less than the diameter of a bowling ball which is 4 /2 inches. under the lower edge 2| of the bumper 20, while lying on its side, but a ball can not. For theballs 13 a gate 22 is provided in the bottom wall 2| of the bumper (as showninFigs. 2; 3 ande'); preferably with an inclined side wall 22a leading to the gate 22. Across piece 23 is rigidly fixed-to-therear side of bumper 20. at the bottom thereof and on the portion thereof to the right of the gate 22 (looking fromthe front in Fig. 2), a top wall or. trap-door2'5, is hingedly mounted by means of hinges 24 and overlies the rear half of turntable i5. Top wall 25 is composedof two parts, an upper part 25a and a lower part 25b. The upper part 25d of top wall 25 is trapezoidal in shape, and its rear edge normally rests upon cross piece 26 rigidly fixedat'the rear of the machine. The lower part 25b fixedly attached to the underside of upper part 25a is substantially P-shaped and has an outer arcuate wall indicated at 25c and atits front straight edge abuts the lower side of cross piece 23 (Figs. 1, 3 and 4). A rear platform 28 having front side wall 28a is mounted around the rear side of turntable l5 and extends substantially two inches above the surface of turntable l5. The pins P thus may be carried around on turntable l5 until they reach the peripheraledge thereof and are directed into the pin exit 32; Balls B on the other hand, once in channel 313 are not able to pass beyond the cross piece 23 which forms the front side wall of the ball channel 30 at the far end of said ball channeLand the balls leave the surface of the turntable l5 and are directed into the ball exit 50. At its right side, however, (as seen from the front in F'ig. 4) platform 28 carries an inwardly extending projection 28b having an arcuate shape parallel and complementary to the outer wall 250 of'lower. part 25?) of the trapdoor 25. Side wall 25s of' the under part 25bof. top wall 25, and the front wall 28aofrear platform 28 thus form a ballchannelsfl for the balls B around the outer rear edge of turntable 15.

It will thus be noted (Figs. 3 and. i) that. a ball B carried on the forepart of rotatingturntable i5 willbe carried through the gate 2-2 provided in bumper 20 and cross piece23 andthence rearwardly directly into ball channel Sill-formed by the side walls 250 and 28a of lower part 251) of top wall 25 and of rear platform 28 respectively. At the same time pins P lying. sidewise are carried under. the bottom side of bumper 2!!- and cross piece 23 until they are rolled by centrifugal force to the peripheral edge of the-turntable i5, where they remain until directed into. the pin exit 32, described below. At the same time balls B are carried through the ball channel 3i]v and let out through a ball exit describedbelow; All pins will promptly pass under the bumper: 2D, cross piece 23 and trapdoor 2.5 and will be'carried a-roundon'the turntable several'times until directed by: centrifugal force toward the outer edge A pin-P can thus pass of the turntable l5 and into the pin exit 32. The balls B however, cannot pass under the bumper 2D and cross piece 23 except through the ate 22, where the clockwise rotation of the turntable [5 immediately carries them into the ball channel 30. There the hinged construction of the trapdoor 25 provides an upper surface or ceiling on the undersideof top wall 25a which rests on the balls and rolls them directly through the ball channel 39 and out the ball exit 40, and thus prevents the balls from merely spinning on the turntable l5 and under the trapdoor 25.

Arranged at the left side of rear platform 28 h (as seen from the front of Fig. 3) is a pin exit 32 which includes a rigid arm 33 which extends inwardly of and over turntable IS a short distance; sufiicient tointercept any pins which may be carried on the outer edge of turntable I5 and direct them intothe pin eXit 32. It will be understood that-the pins preferably roll down an inclined'plane (not shown) ,there to be picked up and. elevated by a suitable pin elevator generally. indicated'at E l (powered'by motor M2) (Figs. 1 and 3). As the. pin. elevator E I forms no part of this inventionrit need not be described in detail. A-k'icker 35. is preferably provided on the arm. 33, in the shape of a bell crank, one finger 35a of which extendsinwardly and over the turntablel5' and the other arm 35b normally lies in the plane of the inner edge of the arm 33, and is pivotally mounted atthe apex of the arms for horizontalmovement. It will'be understood that if a pinE becomes jammed in the pin exit 32, a subsequent. pinon. the. turntable 55 may be causedto-hit the inwardly extending arm 35a of'the kicker 35,.and thus dislodge. the pin which may be jammedin the pin exit 32 (Fig. 3).

The. ballexit 4B is formedat the rearward end of the ballchannelSll, by the side walls 250' and 28a as previously mentioned. Projection-28b of rear platform 28 terminates in a straight surface leading. sideways about the edgeof turntable 15, to the right (asseen. from the frontiin-Fig. 3). Projection 28b ends ina point 46a, approximately over the 'ed'geof turntablel 5. Ballexit' ill is substantially S-shaped andis formed by the extension of the. sidewall 28d ofrear platform 28 which after point lfiar'eversely bends and extends rearwardly to the rear edge of rear platform-28. The other side of ball exit 40 is formed by the complementary S-shaped side wall 42a of side platformA2. The ball channel 38 and ball exit 40 have a width slightly larger than the diameter of the balls B,.and it willbe seen that clockwise rotation of the turntable 15 carries the balls thereon through ball channel 3ilandout through ball exit' 401 Ball exit 4'5 is preferably made S-shaped to prevent pins-from being carried out through the ball exit, audit will be noted as shown in'Fig. 4., that a pin carried into the ball exit 4!! by accident is" prevented from passing through the ball exit by the'projectin' point eta on one side of theball exit andpoints 40b and Moon the other side'of the ballexit. At the same time more'than-half the-pin remains on the turntable, as shownin-Fi'g. 4; whereby it is' immediately carried awayirom" the" ball exit 40. It will be understood that the ballsB passing through ball exit le-will pass down an inclined runway 43 tob'e pic'ked'up-bya suitable ball elevator generally indicated at EZandpowered by motor M3.

As-shown in Fig. Ila-projection extends inwardly from'platform I8 over the turntable l5 at' the-front thereof-andserves to prevent more than two pins P from becoming lined up in tandem relation at the pin exit 32. A third pin is thus prevented by defiector #5 from lining up similarly behind the other two pins, which might cause jamming of the pins in the pin exit 32, with such force that the kicker 35 could not operate.

In operation it will be understood that pins P and balls B from the alley will pass down onto the rotating turntable it in the pit H at the rear of the alley, as propelled by the bowler or carried through by the sweeper S.

The turntable as shown in the drawings, particularly Fig. 3, rotates in a clockwise direction. Such direction of rotation is used when the ball return alley i2 is arranged on the right side of the alley. In bowling alleys as usually constructed, however, the ball return alley is alternately at the right and left of adjoinin alleys. When the ball return alley is at the left of the alley the positions of the ball exit 46 and pin exit 32 With respect to the turntable 65 are reversed, and the ball exit at and ball elevator E2 will be at the left side of the alley, and the pin ex 32 and pin elevator El will be at the right side of the alley. At the same time the direction of rotation of the turntable it in that event will be counter-clockwise, and the gate 22 will be arranged above the right hand portion of the turntable H3, in reverse relation to that shown in Fig. 3.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a simple and eflicient ball and pin separator which readily separates the pins and balls and directs them to their separate exits, there to be carried to their proper distributing points in the pin-setting machine.

We claim:

1. A bowling ball and pin separator comprising a rotary turntable to receive spent balls and pins, a rigid cross member spanning said rotary table and spaced thereabove a distance suiiicient to allow pins carried on said rotary table to pass beneath said cross member while lying flat, but not sufficient to allow balls to pass beneath it, a door provided in said rigid cross member to receive the balls, a top Wall member hingedly mounted on said cross member, a side wall in said top wall member behind the door in said cross member forming a channel with a fixed side wall member to receive and guide balls around said rotatin turntable to the ball exit, said top wall member resting on the balls passing through said ball channel, and separate fixed ball and pin exits provided at the edge of said rotary table.

2. A bOWliIlg ball and pin separator comprising a rotary turntable to receive spent balls and pins, a rigid cross member spanning said rotary table and spaced therefrom a distance sufiicient to allow pins carried on said rotary table to pass beneath said cross member while lying flat, but not sufficient to allow balls to pass beneath it, a door provided in said rigid cross member to receive the balls, a top wall member hingedly mounted on said cross member, a side wall in said top wall member behind the door in said cross member forming a channel with a fixed side wall member to receive and guide balls around said rotating turntable to the ball exit, said top wall member resting on the balls passing through said ball channel, a Wall extendin around said rotary table above the plane thereof and separate fixed ball and pin exits provided in said wall around said rotary table.

3. A bowling ball and pin separator according to claim 2 having a pin deflector mounted on the front portion of the wall extending around the rotary table, and extending inwardly over the peripheral edge of said rotary table.

l. A bowling ball and pin separator according to claim 1, in which the ball channel receiving and guiding balls around said rotating turntable to the ball exit has projections arranged at its exit and defining a reversely bent passage too sharply bent for the passage of pins therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,784,084 Williams Dec. 9, 1930 1,911,436 Cone May 30, 1933 

